When the iPhone was first released back in 2007, it took Apple about a year before it opened up the platform to third-party developers. This time, Apple Watch users and developers won’t have to wait until after the device has been launched. Apple has released the WatchKit for app devs ahead of its new device’s release date which is expected in early 2015.

WatchKit will provide developers with the tools needed to develop apps designed specifically for the Apple Watch. WatchKit apps will have two parts; the first is the WatchKit extension that will run on the iPhone while the second part is the set of user interface resources that will be installed on the watch itself. According to Apple’s press release, “When your app is launched on Apple Watch, the WatchKit extension on iPhone runs in the background to update the user interface and respond to user interactions.”

Image Credit: Apple

The current set of developer tools, which is available in the beta build of Xcode 6.2, will also support the creation of Notifications, Glances, and native Apple Watch Apps. Notifications are simply notifications sent from the phone to the watch, Glances provide snippets of information, and the native apps will contain a full user interface that doesn’t have to rely on information from the external phone app.

The Apple Watch is expected to launch in early 2015 with an introductory rate of $349 while there is speculation that the stainless steel version will cost around $500 and the 18k gold version around $4,000-$5,000.

Question is, how dependant will the Apple Watch on the iPhone and will this shorten or lengthen the lifecycle of the Apple Watch?